‘They brutalized us’: Brandon Boyd’s family speaks out one week after he was shot, killed by police

The family of 38-year-old Brandon Boyd is accusing the Long Beach Police Department of negligence and a lack of compassion after officers fatally shot Boyd on Nov. 19. 

According to the LBPD, Boyd pulled a firearm during the encounter, prompting officers to open fire. During a Nov. 26 press conference, however, Boyd's family disputed the official police narrative, arguing that his death was preventable.

The LBPD said officers were dispatched around 3:15 p.m. on Nov. 19 to a report of a man with a gun near the 5200 block of Atlantic Avenue. Police stated efforts were made to de-escalate the situation, including bringing in a hostage negotiator and a Mental Evaluation Team, but the department also brought in a SWAT team. 

After a more than two-and-a-half-hour standoff, the department claims Boyd drew a gun, and that he and four officers exchanged shots. Boyd died at the scene, and one officer was shot in the arm, according to the department.

Boyd’s family says Boyd initially made the 911 call during a mental health crisis, seeking help while sitting on the steps of Iglesia de Cristo Miel, his family's church. During Tuesday’s press conference, Boyd's family said the mental health professional called in during the incident never left their vehicle and no one aside from officers directly engaged with Boyd.

Tiffany Boyd, one of Brandon's sisters, questioned the department's approach. 

"Aside from sitting there telling him, 'Hey, get off the stairs. Hey, we're ready to end this,' how did you de-escalate the situation?" she asked.

Boyd's eldest sister, Tyerra Boyd, also criticized officers for refusing to allow family and friends to intervene.

"The only thing they allowed me to do was give Brandon cigarettes," she said. 

“The footage that was used on the news that they portrayed as my brother grabbing for a weapon was him telling them ‘don’t shoot me, please. I’m only reaching for a lighter,'” Tiffany said.

After the shooting, Tyerra and another sister, Desiree Boyd, claim they were dragged by police, placed in handcuffs and detained in the back of a patrol car for hours while staring at their brother's lifeless body. Desiree said the altercation left her with a fractured arm.

Hours after the incident, LBPD Police Chief Wally Hebeish and Mayor Rex Richardson praised officers "for their bravery and dedication" — comments that only furthered the family’s pain, they said.

"Instead of showing us a shred of humanity, they brutalized us," Tyerra said.

The family also criticized the delayed release of body-worn camera footage and what they describe as a lack of transparency regarding the incident and the call leading up to it.

Audrena Redmond, a founding leader of Black Lives Matter Long Beach, joined the family during the press conference in calling for accountability and outlined a list of demands, including releasing the 911 call and bodycam footage, dropping charges against family members who were detained and filing charges against the officers involved.

"We want to charge the officers who killed Brandon with what they did, which is murder," Redmond said.

The LBPD stated a full investigation into the shooting is underway. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is also conducting an independent review of the incident, which is standard protocol for all officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death.

While there were no representatives of the LBPD or Richardson’s office at the family's Nov. 20 memorial for Boyd or Tuesday's press conference, the family did thank Councilmember Al Austin for engaging with them following the incident.

“This is not just about Brandon,” Tyerra said. “It’s about the way the police treated all of us. The entire community who stood there and watched them murder my brother.”